Love's Ultimatum
by B4C2
Summary: Blair and Chuck did get married Blair's first year of collage, however to young and both to head strong the marriage fell apart. Eight years later Blair is entitled to half the Bass empire, , but she only wants one thing…..
1. Chapter 1

_Love's Ultimatum - Chapter One_

**Authors Notes: This story is a little bit different from what i usually write but I'm hoping some of you will enjoy it. It may be a little far fetched, but that's why they call it fiction lol.**

**Blair and Chuck did get married Blair's first year of collage (lets just try and forget all this prince nonsense, shall we), however to young and both to head strong the marriage fell apart. Eight years later Blair is entitled to half the Bass empire, but she only wants one thing…..**

January

"What do you mean I'm still married?" Blair Waldorf struggled to keep the hysteria out of her voice as she stared aghast at her attorney.

Unflappable as usual, the older gentleman sat back in his chair. "Apparently your husband never filed the papers."

"But we've been separated seven years. How could this happen?"

"Failure to file is not as uncommon as you might think, Blair. But if you want to know the real reason, then you will have to call Charles and ask him. Or let me do it."

The pain of failure, of love gone so horribly wrong, still hurt. She'd loved Chuck with every fiber of her being. But in the end her love hadn't enough. "No, I don't want to call him."

"Let's look at the big picture. You're entitled to half of Charles' assets when we file again, and those assets are considerably more now than they were then."

"I'm not anymore interested in Chuck's money now then I was then. I want nothing from him."

The quick flattering of her lawyer's lips told her the news didn't make him happy, and no doubt she'd hear more about the subject. 'I understand that you want a quick clean break, but you could get more since you didn't have a prenuptial agreement."

Another wave of worry rippled over her. "Dose that mean he could also get half of my business? I've worked too hard to make Waldorf designs a success to give it away."

'I won't let you lose Waldorf designs. But let's revisit what brought you here today. You can change your last name regardless of your marital status."

"My name is the least of my worries right now." Her plan to take control of her life had seemed so simple , beginning with taking her maiden name, then starting the family she'd always wanted. But Chuck had refused to…..

Her thoughts skidded to a halt as an elusive memory teased her. Grasping the arms of the cool leather chair, she struggled to recall the details of the story he'd confessed over too much champagne on their honeymoon, and slowly the pieces fell into place.

Hope flickered to life inside her. She'd been aching for a baby, and when she'd turned twenty eight she'd decided to take matters into her own hands and quite waiting for her mythical prince charming to appear. She'd decided to get artificially inseminated via a reputable sperm bank.

She'd been reading donor profiles for weeks, but had never expected to find a donor she'd known and once loved. She knew how any unanswered questions - some important, some not - she and her child would face down the road if she went through with her plan. She'd grown up with two absentee parents, and wanted to break the cycle with her baby.

"Mrs Bass, are you alright?"

"I - I'm fine." Swallowing to ease her dry mouth, Blair studied the wizened face of the man on the opposite side of the desk. "You said I'm entitled to half of everything Chuck's?'

"Yes."

Her heart raced with excitement. She struggled to regulate her quickened breaths. The idea of having Chuck's baby without his consent was ludicrous and even sneaky. It certainly wasn't the nicest thing she could do, but she desperately wanted a child, and she would never ask him for support. He had probably forgotten about Nate's stupid dare, anyway.

She wiped her damp palms on her pant legs. "When Chuck was younger he made a deposit at a sperm bank on a dare. He said he asked them to hold it 'for future use.' if the sperm bank still has his….stuff, can I have it? Or at least half of it?"

Kudos to her lawyer for not showing surprise by so much as a twitch of an eyelash. "I don't see any reason we can't pursue that option."

"Then that's what I want. I want to have Chuck's baby. And then as soon as I've conceived, I'll want a devoice."


	2. Chapter 2

Love's Ultimatum - Chapter Two

February

The pencil snapped in Chuck's fingers Monday morning. Ledgers forgotten, he rose with the phone still pressed to his ear and walked around his desk to close his office door. He leaned against it. No one on the sixth floor of Bass industries needed to hear what he thought the women on the other end of the line had just said or his reply to her statement.

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"

"I'm Lauren from Manhattan Fertility Clinic. Your wife has asked to be inseminated with your sperm," a cheerful female voice enunciated precisely as if he was an idiot. At the moment he felt like one.

His wife? He didn't have a wife. Not anymore. A familiar hollowness settled in his chest.

"Do you mean Blair?"

"Yes, Mr. Bass. She is asking for your sample."

Head reeling, he tried to break down this crazy conversation and make sense of it. First, why would Blair try to pass herself off as his wife when they'd been apart seven years? She'd been the one to file for devoice the minute the one year waiting period had passed. And second, there was the donation he'd made a on stupid dare from his friend Nate, years ago. Linking the two separate incidents boggled his mind.

"My 'sample' is ten years old. I thought you would have disposed of it by now."

"No, sir. It's still viable. Semen, if properly stored, can last beyond fifty years. But you did stipulate that your specimen not be used without your written consent. I'll need you to sign a form to release it to your wife."

She's not my wife. But he kept the rebuttal to himself. His company dealt with some extremely conservative clients. He had worked had to change his image over the years. One whiff of this story getting out and he could lose business - not something Bass industries could afford in these hard economic times.

He scanned the office - the last happy project he and his ex-wife had completed together. He and Blair had chosen the glass desk, the pair of cream leather sofas and the profusion of plants. Plants he'd managed not to kill - unlike his marriage. He and Blair had been a good team.

Had been. Past tense.

He intended to get to the bottom of this fiasco, but one thing was certain. Nobody was getting his frozen, ten year old sperm.

"Destroy the sample."

"I'll need your written consent for that , too," the faceless voice quipped back.

"Fax over the form. I'll sign it and fax it back."

"Give me your numbers and I'll get it right to you."

Chuck's mind raced as he gave the numbers by rote. He tried to recall the awful months surrounding Blair moving out, but much of it was a blur. He'd lost his hotel, his place as Bass industries CEO and his wife all within six months. A year after Blair had moved out he had received the divorce papers, reopening an unhealed wound. The old anger returned - anger toward Blair for giving up on them so easily and toward himself for allowing it to happen. He detested failure. None more then his own.

The fax machine in the corner beeped, signaling an incoming letter. He checked the letterhead. "It's here. I'll return it before the ink dries."

After ending the call, he whipped the sheets off the machine, read, signed, and then faxed them back.

His last memory of the divorce papers was of his brother promising to mail them after they'd sat on Chuck's desk for a month because Chuck hadn't had the heart to mail them and break the final link with Blair. What had happened to the documents after Eric took them?

The back of Chuck's neck prickled . Wait a minute. He didn't remember receiving a copy of the divorce decree. Hadn't his mother said something about getting an official notification in the mail?

He was divorced, wasn't he? But if so why would Blair lie to the clinic?

Lead settled in is gut. Blair had never been a liar. He reached for the phone to call his lawyer, but stopped. Todd would have to track down information and call back, and Chuck had never been good at sitting and waiting.

Eric was closer.

Chuck yanked open his door so quickly he startled his PA. "Joan, I'll be in Eric's office."

"Do you want me to call and see if he's free?"

"No. He'll make time for this." He'd damned well better make time.

Chuck's feet pounded on the black oak floors as he strode down the hall to the opposite side of the sixth floor and Eric's west corner office. He nodded to his brother's executive assistant, but didn't slow down as he passed her desk. Ignoring her squeak of protest, he barged into Eric's office without knocking.

His brother, with the phone to his ear, looked up in surprise, then held up his finger. Chuck shook his head and made an x with his forearms in the universal 'shut down' signal, then closed the door. Eric wrapped up his conversation.

"Problem?" he asked after he'd cradled the receiver.

"What did you do with y divorce papers?"

Eric jerked back in his chair. Surprise filled eyes that turned into wariness.

Chuck's gut clenched. "You did mail them, didn't you, Eric?"

Eric rose, exhaling a slow breath. He unlocked and opened a file cabinet drawer, then withdrew a sheaf of papers and swore under his breath. "No."

Shock rattled Chuck to the soles of his feet. "What?"

"I forgot."

His heart hammered in his chest and in his ears. "You forgot? How is that possible?"

Clutching the back of his neck, Eric grimaced. "I stalled initially because you were so broken up over losing Blair that I hoped once you two calmed down you'd resolve whatever issue drove you apart. Like you always had before."

Chuck's legs went weak. Flabbergasted, he sank into a leather chair and dropped his head in his hands.

Married. He was still married. To Blair.

A confusing swirl of responses swept through him. Tamping them down , he focused on the facts.

If Blair was passing herself off as his wife, then she must have known they weren't divorced. The question was, how long had she known, and why hadn't she called and chewed him out for not mailing the forms, or at the very least, set Serena on him?

"Chuck, are you ok?"

Hell no.

"Of course." he answered automatically. He'd never been one to share his problems. He wasn't going to start now.

As his shock slowly subsided, a completely different emotion took its place. Hope. No, it was more than that. Elation filled him like helium, making him feel weightless.

He and Blair weren't divorced.

After years of silence, he had a reason to contact her. A reason besides finding out why she'd tried to pull a fast on with his sperm. But for now it was enough to know they weren't divorced and she wanted to have his baby.

The surreal feeling left him reeling, "I'll call my lawyer and find out where I stand. I'm going to take a few days off."

"You? You never take time off. But as much as I hate to say it, now is not a good time."

"I don't care. The situation has to be dealt with. Now."

"I guess you're right. Again I apologize. If you'd ever demonstrated any real interest in another women, maybe it would have tripped my memory. Maybe not. It's a lousy excuse, but there it is. What brought on this sudden interest in your divorce? Serena didn't mention anything about Blair meeting someone new.

Chuck flinched. Logically, he knew Blair had probably dated since their separation, as had he, but the idea of her with other men filled him with a possessiveness that should have died long ago. He rose to his feet and took the document that should have ended his marriage and made an instant decision not to share the sperm news. His family was better off not knowing. If only to keep Serena from giving Blair a head start.

"I don't know Blair's plans. I haven't seen her in years." She'd wanted it that way. But now he would see her. His pulse accelerated at the prospect. He returned to his office and crossed straight to the shredder. Through the window above the machine, the sun glowed just above the roof lines in the distance. The symbolism of a new day and a new beginning didn't escape him. Losing Blair had been the biggest regret of his life. His younger brother's negligence had given Chuck the perfect opportunity to see if the attraction was still there and if so to win her back.

He fed the papers through the slot one page at a time, enjoying the whine and grind of the machine turning his biggest failure into crosscut paper fragments. When he finished he felt like celebrating. Instead, he sat down at his computer.

He needed to locate his wife.


	3. Chapter 3

Love's Ultimatum.

Chapter Three

BASS1

The limo's license plate snagged Blair's attention as she approached her 5th avenue building. She almost clipped the doorman with her shopping bags and quickly jerked left to avoid walking into the door.

BASS1 equaled Chuck Bass. Her stomach churned like a dough mixer as she watched her ex - her husband - climb from the car.

Ever since she'd heard the clinic's message on her voicemail informing her that her request for Chuck's sperm had been denied, she'd known it was only a matter of time before he came looking for her. The clinic must have contacted him. Her attorney had warned her of the possibility.

But nothing could prepare her for Chuck looming over her before she could even make it to the elevators. Heart racing and her mouth going dry, she fought to appear calm, and stepped into the lift.

Dreading the conversation ahead, she tipped back her head to look up at the man she'd once loved with all her heart. The man who'd broken her.

Chuck had changed. And yet he hadn't. His eyes were still impossibly deep and his hair inky dark, but somehow thinner. His shoulders were as broad as she remembered and even with him wearing his suit, she could tell he hadn't added any fat to his lean torso. If anything, his jaw looked more chiseled.

But the past seven years had been hard on him. There were grooves beside the mouth she'd once loved to kiss, and new horizontal lines fanning from his eyes, although he used to smile often during the early days of their relationship, before he'd taking over Bass industries.

"Hello, Chuck."

"Blair. Or should I say Mrs. Bass?" His deep gravelly tone filled her tummy with the sensation of scattering butterflies. "How long have you known?"

She could have played dumb, but didn't see the point. "That we weren't devoiced? Only a few weeks."

"And you didn't call me."

"Like you didn't call me when you decided not to file the papers?"

He frowned at the snippy tone. "There's more to it then that."

"Enlighten me." And then she remembered that they were still in the elevator. "But you will have to finish this riveting story inside. I don't want the neighbored knowing my business."

His hip and shoulder bumped hers as he nudged past her to take her shopping bags. Her senses went wild over the contact. The way they used to. Damn it. Her reaction didn't mean anything. She was over him. Well and truly over him he'd ripped out her heart piece by piece before she'd left him. No feelings remained other then regret and disappointment.

"Get the door," he ordered.

His words shocked her into motion. He hadn't been here since the early days of their short marriage when this had been her mother's apartment. Blair had made a lot of changes since then as she'd turned the museum like penthouse into an inviting home.

They walked through the foyer and he followed her past the spiral staircase and living room to the kitchen.

"Where do you want these? Chuck asked.

"On the floor, I'll have Dorota deal with it." As soon as he set it down, she transferred her gaze and let loose.

"So…..What's so complicated about slapping a stamp on the envelope containing the divorce paperwork?"

"Eric thought he was doing us a favor by giving us cool-down time. He put the papers in a file cabinet."

"For six years?"

"They'd probably still be in the drawer if you hadn't tried to get my sperm." Eyes narrowing, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms and ankles. "So you still want to have a baby."

His speculative tone put her on guard. "I want to have a baby. You just happened to be a donor I knew."

"And you planned to have my child without informing me?"

She grimaced. "Probably not one of my best decisions. But after going through page after page of other potential donors, I had too many unanswered questions. But now that you've refused I'll go back to my anonymous candidates."

His unblinking gaze held hers. "Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?"

"Blair, I always wanted you to have my baby."

"Not true. Don't you remember the false alarm during high school?"

"The timing was wrong. We weren't even together. And then as we got older I was trying to adjust to a new job."

"A job you hated. One that made you miserable."

"My father left me the responsibility, Bass Industries needed me."

"So did I, Chuck." She hated the telling cracks in her voice, but the sadness of watching their love unravel hit her all over again, making her throat tighten. "I needed the man I fell in love with, the one I married. I was more then willing to help you deal with your grief over losing your father. But I couldn't stand by and watch that job destroy you. You gave up everything, became a different person and in the process you became a silent, uncommunicative stranger. We didn't talk. We didn't make love. You were barely ever home."

"I was working, not cheating on you."

"Watching our love die was more then I could bear."

"When did it die?'

"You tell me." when she'd caught herself turning to alcohol to dull the pain of her unhappiness, she'd known that no matter how much she loved him she'd end up just like her bitter, unhappy mother if she didn't get out.

"I loved you right up until the day you left me. We could have made it work, Blair, if you'd given us a chance."

"I don't think so. Not as long as you where in that depression." She tried to shake off the bad memories. "I'll have my attorney draw up another set of divorce papers. Like last time, I want nothing from you."

"Except my child."

Another dream dead. They'd once planned to have a family - at least two children, maybe three, because they had both hated growing up as only children. "Like I said I will go back to donors."

"You don't have to."

Her heartbeat blipped out of rhythm. What are you saying?"

"You can have my baby."

She forced a breath into her tight chest. "The clinic said your sample had been destroyed. Are you planning to make another donation?"

"I'm not talking about frozen sperm or artificial insemination."

Her tongue felt dry as parchment paper. "Then what are you suggesting, Chuck?"

"I'll give you my baby - the usual way?"

Stunned by the idea of making love with Chuck again, she staggered backward into the counter. But an undeniable wisp of desire snaked through her. They'd been so good together. She'd experienced nothing remotely close to that level of fulfillment since Chuck. But she couldn't risk it.

"No. That isn't an option. I didn't do casual sex before and I'm not going to start now."

"It's not casual sex when we're still married."

Tempting and dangerous. "Why would you agree to that?"

"I'm almost thirty. It's time to think about kids."

Alarm ripped through her. "I'm not looking for someone to be a part of my child's life."

"You business takes up what? Fifty, sixty hours a week? Plus fashion week her and in Paris. When do you plan on having time to be a parent?"

Had he been checking up on her? "I'll make time."

"Like Eleanor did?"

She winced as the barb hit deep. "That's low - even for you, Chuck."

Her mother had worked long hours as her designs, traveling overseas frequently. That left little Blair to be raised by her believed nanny Dorota.

"It will be easier to raise a child with two parents and better for the child. It's also a good backup plan in case something happens to either of us."

Horrified by the implication, she backed away. "We might still be married, but we're not staying that way."

"I want to share every aspect of the pregnancy and delivery and be apart of the baby's first year. After that we can go our separate ways - other then sharing custody. We'll keep the option open for our child to have the siblings we never had."

"More children? Are you crazy?" But what he said appealed on so many levels. Too many levels.

"I want to be a father, Blair. I want a family."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

"I Could ask you the same question. No men in the picture?"

"I'm not seeing anyone." She'd be insane to risk her heart and health again. Shaking her head, she paced to the opposite side of the kitchen. "Thanks for your generous offer, but I'll stick with my donor list."

"You'd rather depend on a questionnaire that's probably no more truthful than a personal ad?"

Another direct hit. She had wondered how factual the donor data might be. "I'll choose carefully."

"Think about it, Blair. The plans we made. The house in the Hamtons we brought together. Your baby could have it all."

Her heart squeezed. "You still have the Hampton house?"

"Yes."

They'd spent the first six months of their marriage trying to find the perfect vacation home. Blair spent the second six months alone trying to figure out how to save her dying marriage.. In the end all she could do was save herself.

"Chuck, it's a crazy idea."

"So was us being together behind Nate's back. But it worked."

"For a while. And you are still running Bass Industries. Nothing has changed."

"The company is under control now. It doesn't consume me like it used to . Move in with me. Let's make a baby, Blair."

She gaped at him. "Move in with you?"

"Have my child. Allow me to spend the baby's first year under the same roof, and then I'll give you an incontested divorce and pay full child support."

A tiny, sentimental part of her wanted to agree. Blair had always believed Chuck would make a wonderful father - the kind she wanted for her children. She's experienced firsthand how patient and encouraging he could be during her first year of collage. But letting him back into her life was scary and risky.

She had to be crazy, because she was actually considering his suggestion. But maybe…just maybe this insane idea could work. Focus on the result. A baby. Someone to love and come home to each night. But if she was going to keep her head and her sanity, she needed to lay ground rules.

"Chuck, hooking up just to have a baby is crazy."

"It could work - for both of us."

"If I agree to this, then I'll want to choose our apartment."

"I'll get someone to help you"

She rubbed her hands together. Her heart pounded wildly out of rhythm. She gulped, trying to ease the knot in her throat. Okay, I'll consider it, but I have a few conditions."

Victory flared in his eyes, giving her a moment's panic. "Name them."

"We need time to get to know each other again and make sure this crazy scheme can work before jumping back into bed together."

"How much time?"

"I don't know. A month, I guess. That should be long enough to determine whether or not we're still compatible."

"Agreed."

"If it's not working, then either of us can back out and you will sign the divorce papers."

He dipped his chin, "I'll sign."

The sense of panic squeezed tighter, as if she was drowning and desperate for air. Was she crazy to plan on bringing a baby into a broken marriage? Her baby would know from day one that it was wanted, planned, not a mistake that derailed her life.

"I-I want my own bedroom. We'll get together….when it's time…if we decide to go through with the plan."

The creases in his forehead deepened. "If you insist."

"I do." she smothered a wince at the words she'd spoken so many years ago. Back then her heart and head had been filled with happiness, dreams and possibilities, instead of a stomach-twisting fear that she was making a huge mistake.

"Anything else?"

She searched her brain for more protective barriers to build, but her thoughts churned so chaotically she could barely think. "Not at the moment. But I reserve the right to revisit this later, if need be."

"I accept your terms and have a few of my own"

She stiffened. "Let's hear them."

"I want to keep the real reason for our living together between us. It is critical that our family, friends and business associates believe we are trying to reconcile rater than temporarily hook up to make a baby."

Could she fake that kind of happiness? For a baby she could do almost anything. "I guess that would be better in the long run - especially if there is a child."

"Then we have a deal?"

Doubts swirled through her like fruit pureeing in the blender.

She nodded and extended her hand. Chuck's long fingers encircled hers. He simultaneously tugged and stepped forward, then covered her mouth with his.

Shock crashed over her like a waterfall as his warm, firm lips moved against hers. Familiar sensations deluged her, sweeping her back into a current of desire and far out of her depth. Even though he was six feet and she was barely five foot five, they'd always fit together like perfect cut puzzle pieces. His thigh spliced between hers, his strong arms enfolded her, tucking her into his chest. It felt as if she had never left his arms, and she was right back where she was supposed to be.

Horrified, she broke the kiss and shoved against his chest. Gasping for air, she backed away, but she couldn't deny the turbulent flood of hunger slicing through her.

"What was that about?"

"Sealing the deal."

"Don't do it again."

"I'm not allowed to touch you?"

"No. Not until…it's time."

"Blair, to make our reconciliation look real, we're going to have to touch and kiss and act like we're in love."

"I'm a designer, not an actress."

He dragged a knuckle down her cheek and over the pulse hammering in her neck, then along the neckline of her top. She shivered and her nipples tightened.

"Let your body do the talking. You still want me and it shows."

She gasped at his audacity. Unfortunately, he told the truth. Her reaction to a simple kiss told her she still wanted her husband. And wanting Chuck was the worst possible thing that could happen.

If she wasn't careful, Chuck Cass would break her heart all over again or worse, drive her to self-destruction. And then she'd be no good for anyone - especially her child.


	4. Chapter 4

Love's Ultimatum - Chapter Four

Authors note: Thank you for all your lovely reviews. This is just a very short chapter to tide you over. Xoxo

_There's no place like home._

But this wasn't her home, no matter how it felt. Blair reminded herself Friday evening. A knot of apprehension formed in her stomach as she stared up at the tall , upper east side brownstone.

The dark oak front door with it's oval, stained glass insert opened and Chuck stepped onto the stoup. In a navy blue suit, he looked so much like the man she'd fallen in love with years ago.

But that love had died. Painfully. And it wasn't coming back. She wouldn't let it.

A volatile cocktail of emotions churned inside her as he jogged down the steps toward her, then stopped on the pavement a foot away. "I'll take these bags. You grab the rest of your stuff."

Her gaze dropped briefly and involuntarily to his lips before she ripped it away. "That's all I brought."

She'd only brought the minimal requirements. She was only a visitor here, and she didn't want Chuck - or herself - to get the wrong idea that this was anything more then a temporary residence. "I can have Dorota bring anything thing else I need."

He didn't look pleased, but he didn't argue. His fingers covered hers on the handles of her small suitcases, sending sparks shooting up her arm. He stood too close and he smelled too good and too familiar.

Memories of happier times pushed their way forward. She battled them back, released her luggage and moved a safer distance away.

He carried her bags up the steps and she followed him pausing on the top step to turn and look at the view. Other restored brownstones lined the street, to her left she could see Central Park and the steps of the Met.

"Come in, Blair."

Dread slowed her reaction time. Turning her back on the street, she stepped into the foyer. The warm, rich, jewel-tone colors they'd chosen welcomed her exactly as she had planned. Dorota had even arranged the flowers she loved.

Gleaming hardwood floors stretched in every direction. The staircase with it's delicately carved ivory-painted spindles rose up the side wall from the center of the foyer. The formal parlor took up the front left corner of the first floor and the dining area the right.

She pulled her thoughts back to the present. "Have they finished the third floor yet?"

"They are in progress two children's rooms and a playroom."

The house had been in near perfect condition when Blair found it, but she need to add her own touch.

He climbed the stairs. "You have your choice of bedrooms - the guest or the master?"

"I'll take the front with the balcony." The one with the big bed and the master bath with the claw footed tub.

He carried her luggage into the master bedroom and set in on the bed. "You know where everything is. Help yourself."

"Thank you," she said as stiffly as if she was a stranger, instead of the one who'd chosen the décor of this room - right down to the light purple quilt on the bed and the rug under her feet.

"When you're settled in we'll go for dinner at Gianelli's"

Memories of the quaint Italian restaurant lambasted her. "Don't even think of trying to act like everything is the same, Chuck. It isn't.

"Those who know us will expect us to celebrate our reconciliation."

Unfortunately, Chuck was right. To make this look real she was going to have to face the demons from her past.

"Our pretend reconciliation," she corrected.

He inclined his head.

Resignation settled over her like a cold, wet table cloth. The charade was going to force her into places she didn't want to go.

"Give me thirty minutes." Maybe by then she'd find the courage to do what she had to do.


	5. Chapter 5

Love's Ultimatum - Chapter Five

Chuck loved a good plan and thus far hi was coming together nicely. Blair was home. She wasn't in his bed yet. But she would be. Soon.

He laced his fingers through hers as they strolled to the restaurant they way they had done so many times before. She startled and tried to pull away, stumbling over an expansion joint in the sidewalk in the process. He tightened his grip, halting her fall and pulling her closer to his side.

Her wide, dark eyes found his. "What are you doing?"

"Holding your hand. You can tolerate that for appearances' sake, can't you?" Having her close felt good.

"I guess so."

He inhaled, letting her familiar perfume wash over him. He wanted to tangle his hands in her long, chocolate curls and kiss her until she melted against him like she used to, but that would have to wait until she was more receptive. The initial kiss had answered his primary question. The chemistry between them hadn't faded, and as long as they had chemistry to work with, he had a good chance of fixing what he'd broken.

He could feel Blair's tension through her fingers and sought a way to distract her. "I've got an idea of what to do with the basement"

Her beautiful, dark gaze flickered his way. "And?"

"There are a few prospects, but everything depends on what you think."

Genuine interest brightened her face. "What did you decide to do with it?"

"That will have to wait until we get home."

"Tease," she said with a smile that faded almost instantly.

She no doubt remembered the occasions when she'd used the same word in the past - times when he'd aroused the hell out of her but delayed her pleasure repeatedly until she'd begged for mercy.

His skin flushed with heat and his groin grew heavy. He focused on what he planned to show her after dinner.

Having the plans drawn up for her new home workspace had filled him with energy and excitement he hadn't experienced in a ling time. He'd wanted to share them with her earlier. But first he needed to ply her with good food, good wine and good memories to make her more receptive.

He opened the restaurant's heavy wooden door, and lead them in. The women behind the hostess stand nodded in greeting. "Mr. and Mrs. Bass, I have your table right this way."

He followed the women to the back corner, taking the time to admire his wife's petite shape from behind Blair had gained a little weight since their split, but it had landed in all the right places, and her white wrap around sweater and grey trousers that accentuated her figure awakened his libido in a way no other women had been able to do since Blair had left him.

The hostess departed and Blair opened her menu. He didn't know why she was wasting her time unless hiding behind the menu was her way of avoiding him. She'd ordered the same dish each time they'd eaten here in the past, claiming that no one made spinach manicotti as well.

"Aren't you ordering your usual?"

"I want to try the chicken romano. She replied without looking at him.

"That's a change."

She peered at him over the menu, her gaze serious. "I've changed, Chuck. I'm not the same person anymore."

Was there a warning in her tone? "Everybody changes, Blair, but fundamentals that make us who we are remain the same."

The waitress arrived to take their order. After she left, Chuck lifted his water glass. "To us and our future family."

Blair hesitated, then raised hers. "To the baby we might make."

He noted the way she stressed 'might,' but let it pass, and reached across the table to capture her free hand. She stiffened. "Is this really necessary?"

'We always held hands while we waited for our food in the past."

Her fingers remind stiff in his. "Why is it so important that everyone believe we're a happy couple?"

Not the relaxing conversation he'd planned, but she needed to know the facts. He stroked his thumb across her palm. "The tight economy is pinching even the largest real estate companies. Our closest rival, Goldbloom Industrie, is encroaching on our turf and not above using underhanded methods to steal our accounts."

"For example?"

"Reed Dreasher, the CEO, will do anything to make us look unstable, immoral or untrustworthy."

"How can he do that?"

"Gossip. Innuendo. We don't know where he's getting his information, but it's almost as if he has an inside source. Some of our biggest clients are ultraconservative. They'll go elsewhere at the first hint of scandal because they can't afford to have their names attached to anyone who might cause them to lose business and revenue. That's why the truth behind our personal project needs to be kept confidential."

"That's like living in a glass house, Chuck. You Can't keep it up indefinitely."

"Dreasher is seventy. He won't live forever. But enough about my work."

"I like hearing about your work. You never used to discuss it…well, not after you became CEO."

"I had enough of work during the day. I didn't want to rehash it at night." But she had a point. When he'd bought Victrola he'd been so excited about his work that he'd often recounted the highlights of his day as they lay in bed a night.

He'd had a lot of time to think about the demise of their marriage, and he'd concluded his first mistake had been asking Blair to focus full time on their marriage. Blair was a planner and was no stranger to the business world he worked in. She'd practically been raised at cocktail parties. At fourteen when other children were shopping at the mall, Blair had been working the room, making contacts and building her social graces.

He'd asked himself a million time if they would still be married if he'd let her in to his business world. But he'd refused, brushed her aside. The past couldn't be undone. The only thing he could do was learn from his mistakes and move on. And this time, he didn't intend to let her go.


	6. Chapter 6

Love's Ultimatum - Chapter Six

It would be far to easy to forget this reconciliation wasn't real, Blair decided as Chuck let her into the front door of their - his house.

During dinner he had been attentive, witty and conversational - just as he'd been during the beginning of their relationship. But he'd changed once and he could again, she reminded herself. Besides, he wasn't the real problem. She was.

"I have your keys," he said so close to her ear that his breath stirred her hair.

Awareness shivered over her. Uh-oh. She put a yard of space between them in the foyer. "You said you'd show me your ideas for the basement."

"They're in my study along with the keys. Go on in. I'll join you in a moment." he headed toward the kitchen. Blair wandered down the hall to the room tucked beneath the stairs. Chuck's office smelled like him. She caught herself inhaling deeply and stopped. His desk took up most of the space beneath the bay window. Her gaze skidded to a halt on the framed photograph taken on their wedding day.

Melancholy thickened her throat, trapping her breath in her chest. She and Chuck looked so happy standing together arm in arm with their blinding smiles and love-filled eyes. But that had been before he had changed.

In that blissfully ignorant moment frozen in the photo, Blair hadn't had a clue how silent and lonely being married to the man she loved could be.

A pop startled her into spinning around. Chuck entered the room carrying a bottle of wine. He had two glasses pressed against his body in the crook of his arm.

She held up a hand. "None for me."

His brow pleated. He set the bottle and glasses on a side table. His strong hands worked the cork free from the corkscrew. "This used to be your favorite Riesling."

"I don't drink anymore, unless I have to sample something for work. Even then I sip and spit."

"You used to love wine."

She shrugged. "That was then."

"Did you quit because of your mothers drinking problem?"

He didn't know about the morning Blair had woken up on the sofa after drinking herself into oblivion while waiting for him to come home. And he never would.

"Partly. The basement?"

"In a minute." he recorked the wine and, still frowning settled behind his desk. He opened a drawer, withdrew a key ring and offered it to her. She remained frozen in place. Taking that set of keys would be another giant step forward, a blind leap of the edge of a cliff. Gathering her will, she took them from him. The cold metal bit into her hand as she closed her fist.

Next he opened a file folder and then slid it across the desk in her direction. Her pulse quickened as he flipped over a large sheet of blueprint paper reveling a page covered in sketches.

His gaze met hers and for the first time in ages the fire of excitement that had initially drawn her to him gleamed in the depths of his eyes. "Take a look."

A little leery of her body's breathless reaction to a glimpse of the old Chuck, she edged closer. He'd sketched out a design studio very similar to hers Paris, only larger and the space had more work surfaces. The layout also included an office area where she could work or meet with clients and a door that lead to the outside patio complete with tables and a fountain.

"This is beautiful, Chuck. Where is it?"

"Our basement."

Alarm sirens screeched in her head. "But….."

He held up one broad palm. "Hear me out. The basement has a separate entrance. You could work from home downstairs and have a nanny keep the baby upstairs. You'd be able to slip away to visit our child whenever you wanted."

Our basement. Our child. Her panic.

Her stomach fell faster than a soufflé. The words implied a long term commitment - one she wasn't prepared to make. "Investing that much money into a temporary workplace is not a good idea, Chuck."

"Who says it has to be temporary?"

"I do. We agreed to divorce after the baby's first year."

"Think about it, Blair. We really don't need to worry about the money and you know you'll want to be on top of your work and be as close to the baby as possible."

Not only was he right, he'd literally and figuratively drawn a tempting, almost irresistible picture.

She wanted to refuse, but she'd go crazy with nothing to do but wait for the sound of Chuck coming home. Having failed at that life already, she didn't dare risk it again - not even for a baby. Living vicariously through him and his job wasn't enough. She needed her own interests.

Unfortunately, what Chuck purposed was both the best and worst option out there, and working in the basement might be the only way. Was she strong enough to handle that kind of pressure? Last time she'd crumbled under the stress.

She looked down at the data Chuck had spread before her and then back at him. 'It's not that I don't appreciate this but I need time to think, and I'll get back to you."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Chuck hadn't lied.

With a mug of coffee in hand and a sense of doom weighing heavily on her shoulders, Blair stood in the cool basement Sunday morning studying the empty, unfinished space. Chuck's plans lay on the nearby worktable for reference.

She'd spent all day Saturday pondering the situation only to continually come back to Chuck's idea. But then she had always been able to trust Chuck's ideas. She was the one she had to worry about.

The stairs creaked behind her. She turned. Chuck's long legs came into view as he descended. Desire flickered to life inside her. She tried to snuff it out with little success.

His gaze raked her, making her self-conscious of her jeans and long-sleeved knit shirt. "Good morning, Blair."

"Good morning. Are you headed out?"

"Care to join me?"

She shook her head. He tapped his hip. "I have my cell phone if you need me. I left the number upstairs on the table." He nodded toward the blueprint. "Did you make a decision?"

She took a deep breath and then a sip of coffee, delaying the inevitable and maybe hoping for divine intervention in the form of a better idea. "You're right. Using the basement is the best option."

Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. He nodded. "I'll make the call to the contractor first thing in the morning. I know one I trust implicitly. Monday afternoon we'll go out and look at furnishing."

"Don't you have to work Monday?"

"I'll take the afternoon off. Come by the office after lunch and we'll leave from there."

That surprised her. He'd never taken time off from work before, and he certainly hadn't liked her popping in and interrupting his day.

"Look over the preliminary plans while I'm out and see if you want to make any changes." he crossed to the exterior door and opened it, letting in a cool rush of air. "I'll be back."

The door closed behind him, leaving her in silence - a reminder of the long, lonely days and nights she'd once spent while Chuck worked. She couldn't help but believe their marriage would have survived if he'd gone to collage, instead of becoming CEO at the family firm. But because his father had entrusted him, he was the only one considered for the job after his fathers death.

She shook her head. The loneliness she'd experienced back then wouldn't happen again. She wouldn't let allow it. She has her own business and interests, and her life and happiness would never again be completely wrapped up in Chuck.

She took the last sip of coffee, then rolled up the blueprints and climbed the stairs. In the past she would have called for Dorota to bring her breakfast. Instead she refilled her coffee cup and sat down with the paper.

The doorbell rang, breaking into her concentration. Had Chuck forgotten his key? She glanced at the clock. He'd only been gone forty minutes.

She rose and walked to the front door. The glass distorted the person on the other side, but not so much that she couldn't see the visitor was to petite to be Chuck. Who would visit so early?

Blair opened the door. Her sister in law stood on the doormat. "Hello, Serena."

Blond and thin to the point of ridiculousness for someone who had given birth to three children. Serena was a welcome surprise. "So it's true. You're back."

"Yes." One single word shouldn't be all they had to say to each other. While Blair was suffering alone, Serena was in LA planning the arrival of her and Dan's first baby. Blair had become angry with Serena's happiness while she was so sad and the two had fallen out.

Serena pushed herself through the door. "I wouldn't mind a cup of coffee."

Blair lead the way to the kitchen rather then the parlor where she would have entertained guest in the past. Without ceremony, she filled a mug, instead of good china, and brought it, the sugar and the milk jug to the table.

"Dorota has Sundays off."

Serena raised her eyebrows questionably. "Are you going to talk to me about this? Eric called me, I know what's going here."

Dismay and denial rippled through Blair in quick succession, surprising her. She had no right to be mad Serena and Eric were his family and he had the right to talk to them about anything.

"You won't change my mind about this baby, Serena."

Serena's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in calculation . "You're pregnant?"

"Well, no. Not yet. I thought you said Eric told you…."

"He told me you and Chuck reconciled because you were still legally married. I came here to make sure you were sure about this. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be for you if things didn't work out again. Wait, your trying for a baby?"

"A cauldron of toxic feelings bubbled in Blair's stomach. Anger, guilt, sadness. She had no idea how to go bout explaining this. She yearned to tell Serena the truth, to confided in her best friend again, but Bair bit her tongue. She'd promised to try and make the reconciliation look real.

Her fingernail's bit into her palms as she delivered the lie "Chuck and I are still in love and a child will complete our family."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. We're going to make you an aunty. Aunt Serena. How do you like that?"

Tears formed in Serena's eye. "We have always known that you and Chuck are meant to be. I'm so happy for you both and I can not wait to be Aunt Serena. You will both make wonderful parents."

She stared at her sister in law. This was the first time anyone had ever said that to her. "Thank you."

The women chatted over coffee, Serena filling her in on the gossip with the rest of the family. Jenny and Nate were engaged and living out in LA. Serena and Dan had moved back to New York last year WHEN Dan was offered a teaching position at NYU.

Something felt right about this for Blair. Being with her friends and family. This was what she wanted for her baby. Aunt's and Uncle's, cousins. Maybe she really was making the right decision.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The exterior of the twelve story building housing Bass Industries hadn't changed, but Blair's feelings about entering the building had undergone a drastic transition. The joy and anticipation she'd once experienced when meeting Chuck at work had turned to trepidation. Entering those doors meant entering a web of deception.

She neared the doors and her muscles tensed. Trendy restaurants and retail shops occupied the first floor. In the pass Bass Industries had occupied the second through tenth floors, and the top two floors had contained a penthouse suite with a roof garden. Who lived there now?

Blair entered the building and made her way to the elevators. A dark haired mescal man about her age held the doors open for her. Blair stepped in to the cubicle. "Ten, please."

He nodded and pushed the button. "Are you a client?"

"No." She hesitated, unsure who this guy was or what Chuck had told his coworkers and clients about her. But Chuck had said to make the marriage look real. "I'm Blair Bass, Charles's wife."

If her response surprised him, his gray eyes didn't show it. "Gavin Spencer. I'm an ad exec for Bass Industries. Mr. Bass is a nice guy."

'Yes. He is." She shook the hand he extended. "It's nice to meet you, Gavin."

The elevator shot up, then the doors opened. Gavin motioned for her to precede him. "Nice meeting you. Mrs. Bass."

She stepped out. A slim women with short brown hair sat behind the reception desk directly ahead of Blair. Swallowing the nervous lump in her throat, Blair scanned the area while she waited for the receptionist to end her phone call.

In the waiting room white sofas faced two monstrously large flat-panel TV's streaming advertisements. The stark white walls and acrylic tables combined with the black oak floors gave the place a contemporary edge. The other walls held extremely colorful modern paintings, some new to Blair, some not.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked in a cheerfully chipper voice.

"I'm Blair Bass. I'm here to see Charles."

The women's eyes widened. "I'm Joan, Mrs. Bass, Mr. Bass told me to expect you. It's great to finally meet you."

"Thank you. You too, Joan. Should I head back or is he with someone?"

"He doesn't have an appointment, but I'll call and let him know you've arrived."

Before she could dial, an attractive auburn - haired pregnant women approached from the office section. The receptionist perked up. "Lauren, this is Mrs. Bass," she blurted as if she couldn't contain the news.

Smiling, the newcomer stopped. "Hello, Mrs. Bass"

"Please call me Blair"

"Well, hello Blair, I'm Lauren, Jason's wife."

Blair scanned her memory and came up empty. "Jason? I'm sorry you'll have to forgive me I haven't been in her in…a long time. I've been busy with my company. So I'm a little out of the loop."

"Jason in a VP. We'll have to get together sometime and do lunch."

Lauren seemed warm and friendly and Blair could use a few friends in the area. She had no intention of repeating her past mistakes of isolating herself. Also , an insider could give her an idea of what Chuck's life was like now. "I 'd like that."

"Good. How can I reach you?"

Blair dug into her purse for a business card and passed it over. "I look forward to your call."

Lauren ducked into the open elevator and the doors closed. The receptionist seemed to be hanging on their every word and then startled as if she's suddenly remembered she was supposed to be calling Chuck. "I'll let Mr. Bass know you've arrived."

"Don't bother. I'll just go back." Blair's heels tapped on the wood floors as she made her way to the east corner office as she'd done as many times before.

This time her pulse raced with nervousness instead of excitement. If Chuck had changed offices, this would be embarrassing.

The chair behind his PA's desk was empty, but Joan's name plate on the desk told her at least Chuck's assistant hadn't changed. Joan had been with him since his first day at Bass Industries and Blair had always liked her.

Chuck's door stood open. But Chuck wasn't alone. A women with long red hair had her arms around his neck.

Shock stopped Blair in the outer office. She struggled to inhale, but her tight chest resisted.

_You're not jealous. Oh, yes, you are._

_And that did not bode well for her mental health or temporary nature of this assignment. _


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Was Chuck involved with another woman?

Blair's throat tightened. Could she stand knowing that while he held her, made love to her and impregnated her, he was thinking of someone else?

The women backed away from Chuck and bent to scoop a file folder from the visitor chair. "Thank you again, Chuck. I'll keep you abreast of the project."

"Do that. You'll need to run the proposal by Eric before pitching it." Chuck glanced up and caught sight of Blair. Her expression must have given away her chaotic thoughts. His gaze sharpened on her face.

Smiling tightly, Chuck came around his desk, took Blair in his arms and kissed her without warning. She stiffened automatically as his hot body pressed against hers, and his warm, firm lips moved over her mouth. Conscious of their audience, she had to fight to relax and look as if this was a regular occurrence.

Getting used to being touched by him again was going to take some work. Not that she didn't enjoy his kisses and caresses. She did. Too much. Even now, despite the other women in the office, desire curled in Blair's belly and her pulse fluttered wildly. But she had to hold herself in check. She couldn't let herself crave him or surrender to him the way she once had.

Chuck eased back and turned her toward the women. "Celia, I'd like you to meet my wife, Blair. Blair, this is Celia Taylor, one of our ad execs."

The beautiful redhead grimaced. "Sorry about the hug, but he just let me take on a very big client. I got a little excited."

Celia's words and contrite expression seemed genuine. And what Blair had seen after the hug had looked innocent enough. There had been no lingering body or eye contact. Tension leeched from her knotted muscles.

"Nice to meet you, Celia."

"Nice meeting you, too, Blair. Now, thanks to your husband, I have a lot of work to do, and trust me, that is not a complaint. Excuse me." She left, the quick tap of her heels receding down the hall.

Blair looked everywhere but at Chuck while she grappled with the strength of the emotions that had hit her when she'd spotted him in another women's arms. No matter how much she might want to deny it, she had been jealous. That was not good.

The office looked exactly as it had seven years ago - right down to the photograph of the two of them on the shelf and the remains of a half-eaten lunch on his desk.

Back then she'd brought him meals time and time again because he often forgot to eat, and in a matter of a few months he'd dropped a lot of weight despite her TLC.

Chuck looked her up and down, making her heart skip. "You're right on time, and you look great."

"Thanks." she brushed a hand over her light, garnet-red, cowl-neck sweater and simple black trousers. "You have several new staff members. I met Gavin in the elevator and Lisa in the lobby and Lauren on the way in. I forgot who she said she was married to, but it was someone I don't know. She suggested we have lunch together soon."

"She's married to Jason Reagert, another ad exec. You'll meet him later. But Lauren is a good contact. She can probably recommended a good obstetrician since she's pregnant."

Panic skipped down Blair's spine. She wanted a baby. She even wanted Chuck's baby. But tying herself to a man who made her weak still scared her more than a little - especially given her emotional reaction moments ago. Was she strong enough to endure a temporary marriage and a permanent link through a child without breaking and turning to alcohol again? "I'll keep that in mind."

"You'll have to join us next time the office staff goes out after work to meet everyone else."

"What did you tell them about me…about us?"

"That we worked out our differences and our trial separation was over."

Her gaze flicked to the photo. "Have you had that sitting there the whole time.?"

He frowned. "No. I dug it out of storage when you agreed to move back in."

For some reason that seemed like the perfect answer to sooth her rattled nerves. He hadn't been pining for her, but he hadn't thrown away the picture. She still had the box of mementos from her marriage that she hadn't been able to part with, either. As much as she'd wanted to put Chuck out of her mind, she hadn't been successful.

_If you haven't succeeded in forgetting him in seven years, will you ever?_

_The nagging voice in the back of her head didn't ease her worry that this entire plot could blow up in her face._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

_**Warning: Adult content follows. **_

_**Blair's head spun with combinations of paint samples and fabric swatches, cabinet configurations and countertop surfaces as she shoved the key into her front door Monday evening. Just like old times. And it felt good. Eerily good. **_

_**She'd forgotten what an effective team she and Chuck made, but today, watching his sharp mind work and his eyes gleam with intelligence and excitement as they discussed the basement conversion.**_

"_**Do you want to eat in the dinning room or should I have it set up in the den in front of a movie?" he asked from behind her. **_

_**Another flashback. In fact, the past has hung over her head like a rain cloud the entire day. Déjà vu moments had unexpectedly spattered down on her. Some like big, fat, warm droplets and others like icy cold drizzle. There had been no escaping the deluge of memories. **_

_**In the early days of their marriage they had ended many a day by having dinner served in the den while an old movie played in the tv. Sometimes they'd even watched an entire film before climbing all over each other. But most of the time they'd missed the last half of the movie because they were too absorbed in making love to hear it playing in the background. **_

_**Her skin flushed and her hands trembled as she dropped her keys into her purse. "Dinning room."**_

_**His gaze held hers and his pupils expanded, telling her he remembered, too. Her chest tightened. She couldn't get enough air into her lungs and had to open her mouth to breath. "Chuck, don't."**_

_**He moved closer, then lifted his hand and cupped her face. "Don't what? Tell you that I want you? That I can't stop thinking about losing myself in the softness of your skin and the scent of your body, in the heat of you?"**_

_**A shiver of desire rippled over her. **_

"_**Don't tell you that I've barely slept for the last three nights because I've lain awake listening for sounds of you moving around our house?"**_

_**She'd done the same, listened for him.**_

"_**Your house," she corrected automatically. **_

"_**Our house. Your touch is in every room, Blair."**_

_**She told herself to back away, but her legs refused to move. "I'm not ready, Chuck, and I'm still not convinced this is a good idea."**_

"_**It's a good plan. A baby. Our baby. Us doing what we do best. Making a home. Making love."**_

_**The husky pitch of the last phrase increased her desire. But her defenses were too weak to give in now. Before they did this, she had to find a way to make this about sex and procreation, instead of making love. Gathering every ounce of strength she possessed, she ducked out of reach and hurried into the dinning room. **_

_**The staff had prepared a large, elegant meal. But her appetite had taken a vacation. **_

"_**For this to work you have to want it, too, Blair."**_

"_**I do. I mean, I will. But not yet." She had to change the subject because she was very, very close to giving in, and that could be the death of her - literally. "I'd like to keep your design, but I think the counters need to be movable instead of fixed."**_

"_**Removable, you mean."**_

_**Uncomfortable with the edge in his voice, she but her lip. "You might what to change it."**_

"_**You're keeping one foot out the door."**_

"_**What do you mean?" she asked, but she knew. He'd seen her ambivalence, her fear. **_

"_**Nothing nailed down. No permanent fixtures other than the required plumbing. You refused to sign the builder's contract today. He might have believed your excuse of rethinking the design, but I don't. Either you're in or you're out. Which is it?"**_

_**Stalling, she rearranged he silverware. "I'm in. I think."**_

"_**Once we conceive this child, you can't change your mind. I will be a part of my baby's life - a part of your life for at least eighteen years and very likely longer."**_

_**That's what scared her. That and the fact that she'd almost signed contracts today committing to running her business from Chuck's basement. Doubts had hit her as soon as she'd lifted the pen. The contractor had been understanding and agreed to give her a few days to think over his estimate. **_

"_**I know how long we'd be tired together, Chuck. Let's eat before dinner gets cold." Coward, her conscience gibed. **_

"_**Let it." he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle and she jumped. "It wouldn't be the first time." His palms spread low over her abdomen, pulling her flush against him, then his lips grazed her neck in that spot that has always driven her crazy. "Let's make a baby tonight, Blair."**_

_**Hunger for her husband raced through her and temptation chiseled away her will to resist. Her breath hiccupped in , then shudder out. She desperately sought any reason to resist. "I don't know if it's the right time of the month."**_

_**His hands caressed upward, stopping short of her breasts, then back down again to her hips. "Forget about timing. Focus on how good we are together. "**_

_**He skimmed up her torso again, and her nipples tightened in anticipation, but he stopped short of them to trace the elastic band at the bottom of her bar before descending up again. **_

_**Up. Down. Up. Down. With each rise her breath caught. With each descent she exhaled…in disappointment, it shamed her to admit. Despite everything that had happened in the past, she wanted his touch. Craved his touch. **_

_**But she wasn't ready. She wasn't strong enough. Why was that, exactly? She couldn't concentrate on the reasons this shouldn't happen yet, with his hands on her body. Chuck had always known exactly how to arouse her. Physically, they'd always been in perfect tune. **_

_**Up. This time her cradled her breasts, instead of leaving her hanging. His thumbs brushed across the puckered tips and her womb tightened. Why was she even bothering to fight? She was going to give in eventually , anyway. Wasn't she?**_

_**Down. She caught his hands, halting their descent, and lifting them back to where she needed them. Chuck rewarded her by simultaneously rolling her nipples with his fingers and scrapping his teeth lightly along the shell of her ear. A shudder racked her.**_

_**She pushed her hips back against him and encountered his erection, rigid and hot against her spine. Her resistance crumbled. She turned in his arms, her hip bumping deliberately over his arousal and making him inhale sharply. **_

_**His nostrils flared, and then he stabbed his fingers into her hair, framing her head and holding her steady. His mouth covered hers. Their tongues clashed in a kiss as wild and passionate and breathtaking as any they'd ever shared. Each successive kiss and caress grew more urgent, more desperate. His hands skimmed down to cover her bottom and yank her closer. **_

_**She dug her fingers into his waist and held on until her head spun from lack of oxygen and disorientation. **_

_**The past and the present blurred in a wash of want and hormones. But if she couldn't distinguish between reality and old fantasies, then how would she survive this relationship? Chuck had been her greatest joy, but also her greatest weakness. She ripped her mouth from his and touched her fingers to her still-tingling lips.**_

_**Desire darkened Chuck's eyes and his cheekbones. His palms branded her upper arms. "Make love with me, Blair. Now. Tonight."**_

_**Her heart battered against her rib cage and her mouth went dry. If she had sex with him now, there would be no turning back, no time to gather her strength. She'd be surrendering without making one single attempt at self-preservation. "I can't. I'm sorry."**_

_**And then she did exactly what she'd done seven years ago when she'd woken up on the sofa with two empty wine bottles lying on the floor and no memory of opening the second. **_

_**She Ran.**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Chuck couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He'd awaken hard, horny and miserable as a result of last night's kisses, but he wasn't complaining. He considered the prelude to his nearly sleepless night progress.

Blair was almost his. It was only a matter of time before the chemistry between them became explosive.

Balancing the tray on one hand, he knocked on her door with the other. She didn't answer, but that didn't surprise him. Blair had always been a sound sleeper. He turned the knob and pushed.

She lay on her side, with the covers bunched at her feet. She'd always preferred to sleep without getting tangled in bedding. One long, bare leg was hooked over a pillow she clutched to her chest. Her position stretched the fabric of her night gown tight across her bottom, making it easy to determine she wasn't wearing panties.

During their early days, he'd been her pillow, and her leg would have been hitched over his hip and thigh. And she would have been naked. His groin pulsed at the memory.

The temptation to wake her the way he once had - by caressing her skin, running his palm up her leg and smoothing over her round butt - was almost irresistible.

"Blair. Wake up."

She startled awake and rolled over, shoving her curls out of her face. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I brought breakfast."

Squinting, she scrubbed the sleep from her eyes. Knowing her as well as he did had its rewards. He took advantage of her usual morning fog to hustle forward and plant himself on the bed beside her before she awoke enough to realize she was giving him one hell of a good view. If he anchored the sheets in the process, making it impossible to cover up, he considered it a fringe benefit. She had to get comfortable around him again and the only way to achieve that goal was through exposure.

"Sit up."

Blinking owlishly at the tray, she scooted up against the pillows. "You cooked?"

He didn't miss the suspicion in her morning-husky tone. "Well, no. I had Dorota prepare it. But I brought it upstairs all by myself."

She bit her lip, worrying the soft, pink flesh and making him ache to lean in and kiss her again. But moving too fast could cost him the battle, so instead, he settled the tray across her lap and enjoyed the sight of her nipples tenting her thin nightgown. The little nubs drew his gaze like a power outage dose looters and hit his gut with a brick of desire that splintered through him like a broken window. He blinked and tried to focus on his goal - getting her to let down her guard. He nudged the coffee mug in her direction.

"Blair took the mug from him. Her hair fell across her face as she bent to take a sip. He caught a strand and twined a curl around his finger. Her chin jerked up. He tucked the lock behind her ear, taking the time to run his finger down the side of her jaw and over her pulse point. The beat quickened beneath his fingertip.

"You always did look good in the morning."

She leaned out of reach and put a self-conscious hand to her tousled hair. "My hair's probably a mess."

He shrugged. "A little messy. But that's always more interesting than a women with every hair in place."

He cheeks flushed, then her eyes narrowed on his.

"Did you sleep at all last night, Chuck?"

Busted. "Finish your breakfast. I have a meeting with Eric this morning. I'll be leaving in a few minutes."

"Is everything all right?" he shouldn't be surprised she'd picked up on his tension. Blair had always bee perceptive. And he'd been a fool to neglect her.

"He's obsessing about a new venture. I need to talk him off the ledge."

"You're good at that."

If he's been better a talking sense into people, he would have been able to talk her out of leaving. But then, she'd given him no clue of her plans. One day she'd been there and the next she'd been gone.

"I'm good at a lot of things." His gaze fell to her breasts. Her breath hitched and her nipples puckered. "If you'll excuse me, I'll take my shower and then deal with the contractor. You take care of your brother."

He patted her thigh, savoring the warm silkiness of her skin and fighting the urge to slide his fingers north into the warmth between her legs. Her quadriceps tensed beneath his fingers, reminding him of his goal - getting her pregnant.

But this was the one time he'd welcome failure on the first few tries. Hell, he wouldn't mind if it took a year…or two. As long as he had Blair in his bed he'd be happy.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"So Blair is back," Eric said as soon as Chuck closed the door marked Vice President. "Why?"

"What do you mean why? I told you."

"C'mon, Chuck. Level with me."

"You don't believe she missed me and what we had and wanted to try again?"

"No. You burst in here eight days ago asking questions about your divorce out of the blue. Four days later Blair moved in with you. The question is, what started that domino fall of events?"

He didn't intend to tell Eric - or anyone - the whole truth. Telling the truth meant admitting failure. "We still care about each other and we're going to try again."

His brother's expression turned from disbelief to disgust. "You're sticking with that lame story/"

"Yes."

"For the record, the rest of the staff may buy it, but I don't." Eric rocked back in his chair. "This isn't about your inability to accept failure like the rest of us, is it?"

Tension invaded Chuck's spine. "I don't know what you mean."

"You have no tolerance for weakness or failure. That goes double when it's your own. I credit your father for that. He rode you pretty hard."

Chuck had been a failure in his father's eyes. He knew it and accepted it.

"You could never accept that Blair might have gotten tired of playing house. You always blamed yourself for the failure of your marriage."

Chuck's surprise that Eric had read him so well vied with his anger at the unjust accusation, but he wasn't going to be so easily distracted. Worry for his brother had brought him to the lion's den. He parked his butt in the chair facing Eric. "Judging by the matching set of baggage beneath your eyes, you're not sleeping."

'What, are you a psychiatrist now?"

"You need to get your mind off work and get laid. Find someone to take the edge off. Isn't there a young man you can speed dial for an unemotional quickie?"

He could use a little of his own medicine. The trouble was, now that Blair was back, he didn't want anyone else, and even if he did, he couldn't risk a scandal that might cost them business.

Living with Blair was like walking a tightrope stretched between heaven and hell. One wrong step and he could fall and land on the wrong side of the rope. She'd insisted on sticking with her get-reacquainted stipulation, which resulted in him having one hell of a time concentrating on work.

The only upside: the lack of sheet time forced him to focus on less carnal aspects of his beautiful wife - like her new strength and confidence. Not to mention her recently acquired curves. A very sexy combo.

Eric pitched his pen onto the desktop. "Sex isn't the answer."

"Maybe not, but it relaxes you enough to get the blood flowing back to your brain."

A knock preceded the door opening a crack Allen, Eric's assistant, pocked her head through the gap. His gaze flickered between Chuck and Eric and then settled on his boss. "Your next appointment is on his way up."

Chuck turned back to Eric and caught a quick glimpse of something on his brother's face he hadn't seen before. But then Eric blinked and straightened, his mouth reforming into a tense line, before Chuck could decipher the expression. "Thank you, Allen. Give me five minutes."

"Yes, sir." The door closed.

His own lack of sleep had him imagining things. Was there something between his brother and Allen? No way. Eric would never condone and office affair. Maybe thoughts of another man had brought that hungry expression to Eric's face just before his assistant had knocked. Did he have a speed date in mind already?

Chuck rose. "Think about what I said. Get a little R & R before you crack up. I don't want you to turn into me."

"I'm fine. You watch your step. I don't want to have to clean up again after hurricane Blair blows out of your life again."

"Not going to happen." Chuck intended to make damned sure of it. He might be fallible and he did make mistakes.

But he never made the same one twice.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Blair's cell vibrated in her pocket, making her jump. she grimaced at Laure. "Oops. Sorry. My phone buzzed me."

Lauren waved her hand. "No problem. Go ahead and see who it is. I know your waiting on calls from contractors.

Blair checked the caller ID. CHUCK. Her pulse took a ba-ba-boom misstep.

"It's my husband." She had to force herself to say the H-word. In her head Chuck had been her ex for so long it would some time to get used to his new/old status.

"Take the call. Believe me, if Jason called I'd answer."

'Thanks." Blair punched the button. "Yes?"

"Join me for lunch," Chuck's deep voice said, and her heart clenched in regret.

"Too late. I'm just finishing brunch with Lauren. And then we're going shopping."

"We'll do it another time." Did he sound disappointed? "Don't forget to get the doctors recommendations. See you tonight, baby."

That 'baby' shimmied down her spine like a feather-light caress. Blair disconnected and pocketed her cell. As much as she liked Lauren and believed they could be friends, Blair had no intention of asking for an obstetricians name, because a very intense part of her subconscious kept yelling, Run before it's too late!

She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. "How long have you and Jason been married?"

"Three weeks." Lauren replied with a smile that lit up her face.

Surprise hiked Blair's eyebrows. "You're newlyweds."

"That, of course, leads to the next question." Lauren pointed to her baby bump. "Jason and I worked together in LA and had a brief affair before he moved here for the Bass Job. It wasn't supposed to be more then that. The pregnancy caught me by surprise, and I debated not telling him. I was prepared to have my baby on my own. But when Jason found out, he wanted more. Our explosive chemistry returned and we got married." She winked. "He is pretty irresistible when he puts his mind to it."

Love and pregnancy combined to give Lauren's face a beautiful glow that Blair had read about but never seen. An itty-bitty twinge of jealousy nipped at her heels. She would never have that glow with Chuck. She couldn't afford to let herself love as she once had ever again.

"What about you and Chuck? You do realize you're the hot topic in the Bass break room at the moment, don't you?"

Blair grimaced. "I suspected that might be the case. Chuck and I have known each other our whole lives, we fell in love in high school and got married in collage, eight years ago."

"I sense a story there."

Blair shrugged and decided it would be best not to share her background. Lauren nodded "Do you mind me asking what happened to you and Chuck?"

A fresh wave of pain hit hard and fast. Blair glanced away. If she was over him, then why did it still hurt to think about those miserable months/

"After Chuck took over Bass Industries, he and I hit a rough patch and took a break. We're trying to work out our differences now." She believed she could trust Lauren and was tempted to ask her advice, but instead, she tucked the cash for her lunch into the vinyl folder with the bill and tactfully changed the subject. "Are you ready to overheat your credit card?"

"Absolutely. I appreciate your wiliness to tag along and offer your onion. Most women's eyes glaze over when I start babbling about nurseries - unless they're pregnant." Lauren's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You're not, are you?"

"Pregnant? No. but Chuck and I are discussing it. We'd once planned to have a large family, so I don't mind looking."

They arrived at the baby boutique catering to upper-class mommies-to-be. Blair followed Lauren in.

Inside the boutique each vignette portrayed a perfect decorated nursery. Before she'd left Chuck, Blair used to wander through children's boutiques, yearning for a family and someone to love. But she'd done her looking and yearning alone.

Then the oddest thing happened at the fourth display. A sensation of coming home settled over her like a warm blanket. She ran her fingers over the rails of am oak crib and tried in vain not to fall in love with the piece.

If the baby plan came to fruition, she had to have this.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" A saleswomen said.

"Yes." Blair looked around for Lauren, but her new friend had moved several displays deeper into the store.

"Each spindle is hand-lathed, and of course safety checked. It's one of a kind from one of the most talented and sought after craftsman. When are you due?" the women asked.

"Oh. I'm not pregnant, yet."

A polite smile stretched the women's lips. "Ah. Then may I suggest that if you're going to wait till you conceive, you might not want to set your heart on this crib. This gentleman's work always sells within a week of being put on the floor."

Indecision twisted inside Blair. If she walked away now, she'd probably never have this set. But if she brought it, she'd be making a commitment to an idea that still terrified her. "I …I'd better catch up with my shopping partner."

The saleswomen's interest cooled. "Of course."

Blair shadowed Lauren through the store. "Blair , are you okay?"

'Can I ask you something?" she waited for Lauren's nod "Starting a family, moving across the country, it's a lot to take on, and yet you seem so serene. Doesn't this much change at once make you nervous?"

Lauren chuckled. "Of course it dose. And if I appear calm, it's and illusion. I adore my husband, and I can't imagine not having this baby or sharing the pregnancy with Jason now. My only concern is that Jason loves his work so much he might miss a few things if I don't make sure he puts us ahead of the business."

The words struck a chord deep inside of Blair. "I understand that concern all too well. After Chuck took over at Bass he became a workaholic. I almost never saw him."

"I'll bet that contributed to your need for a break."

Blair hesitated, than nodded. "For what it's worth, I make Jason take time out most weekends for a sail on his boat. That allows us some quality one-on-one time and gives me an opportunity to polish my painting skills."

The wicked glint in Lauren's eyes caught Blair's attention. "Do I want to pursue that topic?"

Lauren flashed a mischief-filled grin. "Probably not."

She tapped a hand carved toy chest. "What do you think of this? It's not to feminine, is it?"

"No. it's lovely." Blair realized that she and Lauren were approaching pregnancy with polar-opposite attitudes. Lauren's pregnancy had been unplanned and yet she'd happily embraced the coming baby and the upheaval in her life. Blair, on the other hand, was trying to plan and control every detail and was petrified of failing and falling in love with Chuck again. She wished she possessed a fraction of Lauren's courage.

She wanted a baby, a family. And she wanted to expand her business. Chuck was offering her the opportunity to achieve her dreams. All she had to do was guard her heart for the next twelve to eighteen months or so and then divorce Chuck. With so much to gain, how could she afford to say no?


End file.
